Escort
by JedTheStageHand
Summary: Before meeting Alice Liddell, Arthur never understood madness. One outing later, his is shown the true making of a mad girl's mind. However, this madness does not take away from the feelings in his heart. She, after all, a strange, mad, beautiful girl…
1. Chapter 1

I have just recently discovered my new favorite game, Alice: Madness Returns. So addicting, but I suck at it~!

Anyway, I always tell my sis that of Britain was in Madness Returns, he would have a huge crush on Alice. I say it's because he likes crazy girls and she gives me a dark look. She may not get the romance, but I think it's sweet…

Between playing Alice, homework, browsing the internet, and work, I've had no time to write this! Doooooon't worry~ though! Let's go!

Disclaimer- The game is rated M… so that's why it's T… Some themes not appropriate for everyone (language, blood, references to mad people, dark creatures)

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><p>She is such a strange girl. A strange, mad girl. A strange, mad, beautiful girl…<p>

Arthur never thought an internship in East End would be a good idea. However, this was the only internship that seemed reasonable. He did _not _want to start a carrier as a psychiatrist at Rutledge; the asylum was the _next_ step. Houndstich Home for Wayward Youth, that was a much better start. Dr. Angus Bumby took Arthur in as his intern, letting him stay behind and watch. Arthur mindlessly took notes most of the time, only listening when he thought that he should. Except for one day when he was going to meet a new client.

"Arthur?" the mystical voice of Bumby asked.

"AH! Yes, what?" Arthur asked, looking up from his doodle of Alfred getting eaten by a bear.

"You've seen plenty of people who must forget, but today is a special case. She's quite mad, spending a few years at Rutledge. It's awfully hard to listen to her story for first timers so I thought I should warn you…" Bumby continued.

"Yes sir," Arthur yawned. This girl was probably another one of those rude childern, nothing special. It's not like he hasn't heard horrible things. How bad could this child's story really be? A few moments later, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Ah, yes. Come in Alice…" Bumby called. Arthur snorted; the name Alice always reminded him of some spoiled brat or some ditzy girl who falls through a rabbit hole. Just before Arthur was about to completely ignore this child, a young woman stepped in. Arthur felt his throat close up and his heart skip a beat. She was not a spoiled brat or even ditzy; she had tossled balck hair and a petite figure. Her eyes were a brillent green, like Antonio's but prettier. She looked harassed and sad, her eyes red from crying maybe? Arthur had never seen such a beautiful girl before; and she was supposed to be mad?

"Alice, this is my new intern Arthur Kirkland," Bumby introduced, casuing Alice to turn and meet Arthur's eye and causing Arthur to try and catch his breath.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Kirkland," she said with a small accent, subtley bowing her head. Arthur opened his mouth to responed, but all that came out was a highly embaressing hoarse sound as all the words clogged in his throat. Alice did not react, but looked away just as Arthur blushed brightly. Some first impression Kirkland, some first impression…

HETALIA!

Arthur found himself looking forward to session with Alice. It was such a strange feeling that filled inside him when he heard that soft knock from her. He had never been excited to see anyone before, especially someone as mad as Alice.

Arthur realized after a few sessions that what Dr, Bumby said was completely true. Alice _is_ mad and her story shook Arthur to the core. Eleven years ago, the poor flower witnessed her parents and older sister's death. After their house burnt to the ground, Alice was sent to the hospital and later the asylum. She wanted so desperately to forget what she saw and Dr. Bumby mentioned something about going back to Wonderland to help her cope with these haunting memories. From what Arthur had gathered through notes, Wonderland was some imaginary place Alice had created through her wild imagination. She claims that Wonderland is not the "same anymore" and Arthur wondered how such a strange and wonderful place could change. Soon he witnessed this first hand as he stood back and watching helplessly as she screamed, "Corruption! Corruption! It's killing me! Wonderland is destroyed! _MY MIND IS IN RUINS!_" This shook Arthur to the core, what could possibly be going on in this girl's head? Some days he just expected her to be sitting there and when Bumby asked her what was wrong, Arthur expected blood to pour from her mouth once she opened it. He was loosing sleep over this girl's rants, but also spending his nights thinking about ways to talk to her, break the ice. Never had he met another person he wanted to be close to; what was this feeling-

EEK! They were still in a session! How long had he not been paying attention? Arthur immediately came back to Earth just in time for…

"…now for our next session, I want you to get your pills from the local pharmacist…" Bumby concluded

…the end of the meeting! Shit! His notes were not even filled in! Some doctor he'll become…

"Very well doctor…" Alice obeyed, heaving a heavy sigh and rising from her chair. She was going to the pharmacy? That was at least halfway across town! Walking around East End was certainly something a young woman should not do alone… Perfect! Arthur's chance had finally come!

"Sir, can I take my break a little early today?" Arthur pleaded as Alice opened the door, letting a little boy named Charlie come in. Bumby smiled, looking from Alice to Arthur out of the corner of his bespectacled eyes.

"Of course Arthur. I'm sure she'd appreciate the company of others…" he smiled. Arthur was taken aback, how the Hell did he… oh yeah…therapist…he could probably read it all over Arthur's face. Arthur bowed his head and left just as Dr. Bumby began telling Charlie to forget his dead father and dead abusive mother. Arthur shut the door with a click and almost bumped into Alice standing outside the door.

"Erm… hello Miss. Liddell!" Arthur chirped, causing her to jump and turn to him with large scared eyes.

"Ah… it's just you Mr. Kirkland..." she sighed, turning back around and making her way around the corner.

"Wait! I wanted to come with you!" Arthur said, scrambling to follow Alice.

"Doctor's pet _wants _to be around her?" a child sneered from their group in the middle of the hall.

"He's just as mad as she is!" another whispered just loud enough for him to hear. Arthur scoffed, such horrible children. Just as he was about turn around and talk to Alice, she was gone, disappearing into the room across the hall.

"Wait! Miss. Liddell!" Arthur called, trying to catch up to her.

"What are you doing in here? This is the boy's dormitory…" Arthur asked, seeing her aimlessly looking around.

"I've never ventured upstairs before, I just want to look around," Alice said matter-of-factly. Arthur opened his mouth to say something back, but Alice strode off, looking around at these rooms she had never been in before. It was all rather boring, being in rooms he had seen before that was filled with horrible kids and smells from the unknown. Soon Alice meandered out of the room soon after she made a comment out her mind being an influence on the children's art. If by influence you mean driving them to draw frightening images of distorted figures and bloody smears that were once monsters, then yes she was a definite influence. So lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice Alice silently making her escape.

"Ah? Miss Liddell? Come back!" Arthur snapped as he stumbled after her, swinging out of a dormitory and avoiding a game of hopscotch a little girl played. Alice continued down the stairs, Arthur shouting after her to wait. Finally Alice turned around with her green eyes flaming.

"Mr. Kirkland! Is there are reason why you are following me? Don't you have anything better to do?" she snapped. Arthur backed up a step at her tone, only remembering that he had no mentioned anything about being her escort…

"Uh… I-I'm escorting you to the pharmacy…" Arthur stammered awkwardly. Alice scoffed, turning to go down the second flight of stairs.

"And what makes you think I need an escort?" she sneered arrogantly. Arthur slide in front of her way before she could take a step forward down the stairs. As the two talked, Arthur took a step backward down the stairs and Alice took a step forward.

"There are horrible people in the city…"

"They don't bother me…"

"There are prostitutes everywhere; you could be mistaken for one…"

"How rude!"  
>"The city police might throw you in jail for being mad…"<p>

"I doubt it…"

"The streets are filthy!"

"It's better than being here…" Alice shrugged, steeping down onto the ground floor, "Anything else I should be concerned about Mr. Kirkland…" The cold glare from Alice was not helping Arthur find the thoughts he could not get to…

"Well if that's all, then I'll be off to the pharmacy alo-"

"I'll listen…" Arthur finally said just as she turned away her heel. But hearing these words caused her to slowly turn back to Arthur, still standing on the last step.

"Listen?" she asked, wanting clarification.

"I went to school to be a physiatrist, but not like Bumby is!" Arthur added, seeing the distaste in her face, "I don't want you to forget anything. In fact, I want you to remember everything and tell me what happened to you. I'm curious and I will listen to you Miss Liddell." Alice looked baffled by his action of kindness; apparently no one had ever offered her such a kind gesture. The intense glare she had been giving him all this time melted to a soft and subtle smile.

"I guess your right; maybe I _do_ need an escort…" Alice smirked. Arthur smiled, but inside he was overjoyed to see her smile. She pulled at his heart in a way that made it want to fly out of his chest.

"Oh, the paper did come this morning…" Alice mumbled, picking up the yellow newsprint from a catch-all table in a hallway. Arthur scooted off for a second to let her read, trying to preoccupy himself while waiting. Once he turned the corridor, he noticed a door open that he had never seen open before. Arthur had always wondered what could be behind it… Arthur quickly slipped into the room and gasped, not expecting a bedroom, dressed to look like all of the rest. This one must have belonged to one of the more civilized kids because it was so clean. Alice influenced drawings hung on the walls with thumbtacks, but it was not the only thing on the walls. Across from the bed, there was a photograph of a small family in shades of brown. The mother and father stood behind and a beautiful girl who must have been the elder sister. She held her baby sister in her arms. The oval eyes, the dark hair, why did they look so familiar…

"That's Lizzie, Mama, and Papa…" Alice's voice piped up, causing him to jump.

"AH! Miss Liddell! I-Is this your room? I-I'm sorry, I…" Arthur stammered, feeling his cheeks flush.

"It's alright; curiosity is not a sin…" Alice said, walking over to the photo.

"What happened to them?" Arthur asked, watching Alice's long fingers touch the paper.

"They died in a fire. I survived with burns, but it was my fault they died…" Alice mourned.

"Now Miss Liddell that can't be true. What you feel is just survivor's guilt; there is no way that their death was your fault…" Arthur explained, trying to stop these false feelings. Alice turned to him with a dark look.

"That's what everyone says…" she sneered, before turning away out of her room. Arthur sighed; it was like as soon as he opened his mouth he offended her… Feeling awkward standing in her room alone, Arthur followed Alice into the main entrance to the home. Alice busied herself by looking at bookshelf on the other side of the room, avoiding the horrible children playing.

"Doctor's pet!" One child jeered.

"Too good for the asylum!" another added, receiving a dirty look from Arthur.

"Mad as a hatter they say!" the third one sneered, receiving a small, unexpected giggle from Alice.

"What's funny?" Arthur asked as she turned to look out a window, the sunlight catching dust that was rising in the air.

"Oh… it's nothing…" she smiled, looking out the window onto the sunlit street outside.

"What was it like in the asylum?" Arthur asked softly, this question on his mind for a while. Alice shook her head, looking away from the window and back at Arthur.

"Mr. Kirkland, I think you're better off not knowing… Even if you will listen to me…" Alice said with a soft smile.

"Oh course. I understand Miss Liddell," Arthur smiled.

"No need for formalities. Please call me Alice, Mr. Kirkland."

"And you may call me Arthur."

"Arthur… My father's name…" Alice mumbled, stepping away from the window and making her way to the door.

"Oh! I'm sorry; I didn't mean to remind you of them!" Arthur apologized, causing

"You're apologizing for you name?" Alice giggled, causing horrible snickers from the children eavesdropping. Arthur blushed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"You're a funny man, Arthur…" Alice smiled as the two of them walked out of the home. Arthur smiled awkwardly as they were both hit instantly with cold London air. Alice shivered slightly.

"Sure is cold today isn't it?" she asked. Oh! He could give her his jacket… which he left upstairs, leaving him in his always cool white shirt, black pants, suspenders and tie… It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he just felt like an idiot! Note to Arthur- she forgot her coat for a reason!

Despite beating himself up, Arthur and Alice walked through the streets making light conversation. Talking about Moorgate Station (which they both bet would never be finished…), the man playing the violin on the corner (such talent for a street performer…), and the child talking to herself while facing a wall (just walk away slowly…) Just as Arthur left the courtyard where horrible kids played, Alice wandered off ahead of him. He figured she was going to the pharmacy and he would meet her there, but she looked left down the alley toward the market place and then took off in the direction.

"Alice? ALICE? Where are you going?" Arthur called as he ran past carts covered in blood from meat or fruit that looked close to their expiration date. Oh! if Bumby found out that he lost her in the streets, he's gonna pay! He'll never be allowed back in Houndstich ever agai-… Oh there she is…with a white cat he had never seen before…

"Hello puss… puss, puss, puss, puss… Don't be afraid…" Alice cooed to the little kitty.

"Alice! There you are!" Arthur called, causing the cat to meow and jump away. Alice sighed and turned to him with a very cold look.

"Hello Arthur and thank you for casing away the cat. It wasn't like I trying to catch him…" Alice sighed.

"Sorry… I think he went this way, come on," Arthur said, pointing down a very dark and frightening alley. Alice seemed content with walking through the alley in a hot pursuit of this mysterious snow white cat, but Arthur was trying to hide his discontent. Between crashes, screams and bumps from inside the different rooms, Arthur felt his hatred for the East End rising with every step. Once they broke through the alley, a street lined with prostitutes opened up, adding to Arthur's discomfort. He figured that he should try Alice's approach and ignore his surrounding, focusing only on the tattered girl chasing a snowflake through the streets. This worked well until a boney hand fell on his shoulder.

"'ello there, my pretty. You look like yer missin' some satisfaction from yer life…" a prostitute cooed, blonde hair falling limply and greasy at her jaw and thin as a pole with a dress that fell two time farther down than any woman's should.

"Erm… uh no… I'm just trying to find my friend…" Arthur shook his head, looking away from the hideous woman.

"Come now, lovely~ Don't be so 'ard teh get~" she cooed, running her boney fingers that had held to many cigarettes through his soft blonde hair. Just before Arthur could rebuttal, Alice pushed Arthur away from the woman, grabbing him by the arm and shooting the whore a dirty look.

"_Fuck you then! Yeh couldn't fucking afford it anyway!_" the prostitute screeched as the pair dashed off into a paved courtyard.

"Thanks for that…" Arthur mumbled.

"Don't mention it…" Alice winked.

"I really hate how much garbage there is in the side of London! Not you I mean, but I've seen nothing but horrible things ever since I came here! Don't you agree Alice?" Arthur asked. Silence.

"Alice? Are you still there?" Arthur asked, turning around to see her frozen and white as a sheet in her spot.

"Alice? Al~ice?" Arthur asked, shaking her shoulder lightly. She held up a shaking finger to point behind him.

"Arthur behind you!" Alice stammered. Arthur felt white hot fear fill his body and whirled around, only to see nothing but the misty grey alley.

"Alice, what am I looking at?" Arthur asked.

"Jabberwocky! The Jabberwocky is here!" she screeched, moving around in her spot like she was surrounded.

"What…the…hell are you talking about…" Arthur asked slowly, trying to figure out what a Jabberwocky was…

"Stay away from me! All of you!" Alice screamed, baking up away from invisible men, "I have a weapon and I know how to use it!"

"Alice you have no weapon on you…" Arthur corrected slowly, still confused.

"Well don't tell them that!" Alice snapped, looking at Arthur with wild and scared eyes. Because she was still backing up, she bumped against Arthur's chest, quickly turning around, and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Alice, what's going on?" Arthur shouted, feeling her body shake. She did not answer, but buried her head into his chest as some imaginary enemy "surrounded" them. Just when Arthur was starting to believe this wasn't real, something tapped Arthur on the shoulder, causing him to scream awkwardly and back away from what he thought was an enemy… It turned out to be a tiny old lady who looked like she owned a lot of cats.

"Well look who it is. Alice Liddell!" the old lady smiled. Alice moved away from Arthur, much to Arthur's discontent, and looked almost relieved.

"Ah, Nurse Witless, it's just you… Arthur, this is Nurse Witless. She was one of my caretakers at Rutledge," Alice introduced.

"Hello, Arthur Kirkland. Pleasure to meet you," Arthur said with a small nod of his head. Nurse Witless gave him a smile from behind her large nose and bespectacled eyes.

"At least you're out and about with someone, boyfriend yes?" she asked.

"WHA-AH? N-NO!" Arthur and Alice stammered together. Witless chuckled.

"You look frazzled my dear, why don't you come along home? My pigeons miss you… Pretty birds, like yourself…" Witless smiled. Arthur turned a confused look to Alice; pigeon lady, seriously? Alice did not notice his glance, but gave Witless a displeased look.

"Sorry, but my last visit cost me several pounds and got me nowhere. Me and Arthur are off to the pharmacy," Alice said sharply, taking Arthur by the hand, "so if you'll excuse us…"

"You know Alice, I may know the whereabouts of that stuffed rabbit of yours…" Witless said in her same calm and cheerful voice. Alice looked to Arthur awkwardly, like a teenager whose friend just found out and embarrassing secret from her grandmother.

"Alright then, I'll come with you…" Alice sighed; "Against my better judgment…" she added mumbling to Arthur, who chuckled just as softly.

"Once I see what Ol' Pris wants, I'll come right back. Just stay here for now…" Alice smiled. Arthur nodded and watched her walk off, disappearing in the mist and darkness of the alley. It was hard to watch her go, especially seeing that he was alone in the East End. But it's not like she would be gone long right? It would probably only be a few minutes…. At least one thing helped him with the waiting, this warmth that would not fade from his heart. The warmth that was kindled by the fact that she had held his hand and had not let go until she left through the alley.

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><p>Aw~ dhat crush! They are too cute together!<p>

Oh Arthur…an internship with Bumby… you have no idea what you're getting into… (SPOLIERS)

Favorite part? Writing the prostitute's speech. No questions…  
>I wish Pris was my grandma… If she wasn't evil and greedy…<p>

I apologize for long-ness! I didn't realize that this was going to be so long! Sorry!

Anyway! PART 2~~~~! Yes I plan on doing the next London scene featuring Arthur! It's not going to be up any time soon, but it will defiantly happen!

Review please?


	2. Chapter 2

Told ya there'd be a second chapter! And there's a surprise twist in this one!

Oh~~~ this is gonna get really hard to write… I think I'm screwed! /sigh/ GAH! But I'm just so excited to type this! All of your favorites have motivated me!

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

_"Hatter! Tell me! What is this infernal train? It's destroying Wonderland!" Alice snapped as the world around her fell to ruin. The Mad Hatter on the other hand turned to her with a pleasantly mad smile._

_"Now, now Alice. Now is not the time for bickering and asking questions and asking questions about bickering; it's time to tea~!" the Hatter cooed. Alice slapped her forehead with her gloved hand; he's useless! _

_"Come now my friends! Drink up; I have a lovely Darjeeling for you today~! Come, let us enjoy a marvelously marveling tea party!" the Hatter sang, trying to force tea into the mouth of a dead March Hare which lay next to a mangled Doormouse. _

_"HATTER! Enough tea for a second! Tell me what I need to know!" Alice snapped, an explosion blasting above her as a railing broke. _

_"Hmph… never had much time for trains, or trains for time for that matter. Talk to Mock Turtle about it; ran the Looking Glass line at one point, he did…" Hatter scoffed, "Now if you'll excuse us Alice, we have tea to drink. You are welcome to join us, you're always welcome. Mad amongst the mad they say, or do they say that? Who always says that? I know I certainly don't…" As the Hatter rambled like a mad man, the world around them finally broke and started collapsing. Alice lost sight of the Hatter as the platform the three sat on crash out of sight._

_"Hatter! HATTER! What? What is this?" Alice asked as something rose up around her fast. The color, the smell, the aroma… no it couldn't be!_

_"I'm- I'm drowning in tea! Help! Hatter!" Alice called as tea engulfed her body._

" _Help! Help me!"  
>"ANYONE!" <em>

_So foggy… What's going on…_

"It's a water nymph I say, lucky we fished her from the river," a gruff fisherman chuckled.

_Water nymph? What are they talking about?_

"We should take 'er over the Mangled Mermaid, rent a bed, eh?" a large fisherman grinned.

_The Mangled Mermaid… Nan runs that place… _

"What did you lot find?" a man voice snapped.

_That voice… it's so familiar…_

"Mind your own business boy! It's our nymph and we'll do what we want!" the large fisherman snapped.

"I'll have you know that I am looking for a missing person! A young lady, no less! I would like to see what you've found!" the man voice snapped.

_My vision… it's coming back… _

Alice blinked the river water out of her eyes and let the rain fill them. She could see the burled images of the fishermen and the man trying to see over their large circular bodies. He jumped up and saw her lying on the docks, his face lighting up instantly.

"ALICE~!" Arthur cried, pushing the two fishermen into the river as he pushed them aside. Why Alice recognized the male voice became clear as she saw the familiar face of blocky eye browed Arthur. He was dressed in a yellow rain coat and matching hat as rain poured around the two.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?" Alice asked as Arthur helped her up. Arthur on the other hand was too busy freaking out to answer her question.

'ALICE! It's you! You're alive! It's-it's… ALICE! You're okay! ALICE!" Arthur squeaked in an excited flurry. During this time, he placed his hands on her small shoulder, threw his arms up in excitement, and finally threw his arms around her in a tight hug.

"ARTHUR! What are you doing? What are you hugging me? I haven't been gone that long…" Alice snapped, blushing slightly and wiping the water from her cheek.

"I've been looking for you for days Alice! After two hours of waiting for you, I went up to see if I could find you and to see if you were alright. I asked Nurse Witless where you went and she snapped at me, telling me to go away. She said that you had run off and I've been looking for you ever since!" Arthur explained. Alice however, was lost in a daze, missing half of what Arthur said; she was gone for a few days? No, no it had to have been a few hours! Maybe a few minutes! But days? She had never realized this before!

"Alice? Al~ice~? Are you alright?" Arthur asked, waving his hand in front of her face.

"I-I'm sorry Arthur…my head's just a little funny... Probably all the water I swallowed…" Alice mumbled, a lie through her teeth. She sneezed and shivered slighting, her wet black hair falling across her shoulders like wet rags.

"Let's get out of the rain Alice and find a nice place for you to stay, okay? You look tired and it is getting late…" Arthur smiled softly, taking her arm and leading her up the dock. Alice blushed, but let Arthur lead her up the slippery dock in silence. After a pause of far to much silence, Alice broke it with question.

"Arthur, why were you looking for me? You've only known me for a few days and yet you searched high and low for me…" Alice asked softly. Arthur cursed in his mind; he did not expect her to ask this. What should he say; _"Alice, I looked for you because I have a huge crush on you and loosing a love interest would be too much for me"? _Oh yes Kirkland, just what you should say!

"Uh Arthur?"  
>"AH! Y-yes?" Arthur stammered.<p>

"Nothing, you were just making funny faces while you were thinking…" Alice said with a small giggle.

"Oh, I…I was just…" Arthur stammered. Just before he was about start babbling like an idiot, a snow white cat ran by their feet.

"I was just thinking about how much that cat looks like the one you followed before!" Arthur explained, thanking fate for that white cat.

"Hmmm yeah it does…." Alice pondering, scooting away from Arthur and following the path of the cat. Arthur sighed and trotted after her; the last time they followed a cat Alice went into a crazy hallucination state and then he lost her. He was _not _about to loose her again.

"Alice! Wait! Let's find the cat later and get into some shelter. It's starting to rain harder," Arthur said, taking off his yellow rain coat and throwing it over her shoulders. Alice looked like she was going to rebuttal, but sighed heavily and pulled the rain coat a little farther over her left shoulder.

"Alright fine…I am a bit cold…" Alice mumbled, looking longingly over her shoulder to see if she could see the snowflake scurrying off through the crates of imported goods. Arthur did not see her eyes wandering, but pulled both of their shivering bodies into the closet warehouse… However the warehouse…

"A-A-ARTHUR!" Alice snapped through blue lips, shivering violently.

"Alight! I've never been in this part of town! How was I supposed to know that this was an ice warehouse!" Arthur snapped. Alice sneezed again.

"This is worse than standing in the rain! I'm getting out of here!" she snapped, stomping up the stairs, causing snow to fall from the frozen wood. Arthur sighed and followed her up the stairs, avoiding ice Alice did not even seem to notice. Avoiding almost slipping and falling down the stairs, Arthur spotted Alice standing back in the rain, clutching his yellow coat on her shoulders. She was looking at what smelt like a pub, but then again all the smells in East End mixed with filth and trash. Arthur adjusted his yellow hat and dashed off into the rain to stand next to her.

"Hey! Alice, what are you looking at?" Arthur asked, bouncing up to her and following her gaze. What he saw was a sign reading "The Mangled Mermaid" with another sign next to it. It was an elderly skeleton mermaid with snow grey hair and sagging wrinkly skin. She wore pearls around her neck and her turquoise fin. She was positioned in a way that would have been attractive… for a younger looking mermaid…

"Ew…" Arthur grimaced.

"My old Nanny's whore house… Ew indeed…" Alice grimaced as well, walking around the corner and down onto a dock in front of the brothel.

"WAIT! Where are you going?" Arthur shouted, really wanting to know why she was going _toward_ the whore house!

"I want to ask Nan a few questions. Come on! Be a man!" Alice joked, pulling Arthur along by the hand across the dock. The two approached what looked like the entrance to the brothel, but it was blocked by two very large men. Arthur expected Alice had everything under control, but the two men at the door had another idea. The smaller man with a dirty red hat chuckled.

"They say a tart with a few rough edges like everything rough…" he chuckled. Just before Arthur could bark at the bouncer, Alice sneered in a cold voice from next to him.

"You know I'm with another man," she hissed coldly and matter-of-factly. Arthur turned to her in shock; another man? Could she, in some crazy way, be talking about him-

"Yes the doctor says I have a terrible disease. Highly contagious…" Alice finished smugly. …oh… the other man was the doctor… it was silly to think that Alice was talking about him… Arthur looked away in sadness, but quickly turned back when the prostitute near by winked at him. He turned back to see the two bouncers exchange looks at Alice's sharp comment and back up away from them, but did not leave the door. Alice huffed and pulled Arthur away, mumbling something about the trash her nanny hired. Arthur had to agree with her about trash around them, men hiccupping in the alley and passed out drunks still cradling the bottles they loved so much in their hands. Alice scoffed.

"Rum is such a vile drink… Drunks make me sick," she hissed softly looked around the pathetic dock. Arthur avoided answering and busied himself by looking at the advertisement for some circus act on the wall next to them; note to Arthur; you probably should avoid telling her about you days as a pirate…

"Where's me money, you puffy collared son of a bitch?" A gruff woman's voice snapped from a few meters away. Alice and Arthur turned around to see an open window and a man with a long coat and a bowler hat standing beneath it.

"You get those skinny back whores out on the streets or I'll come up and make you!" the man hissed in a voice like a rat's. The woman laughed heartily and flipped the bowler hat man off.

"Fuck off, you rat! You'll never get passed Long Tim!" she chuckled. The man scoffed and adjusted his high collared coat.

"We'll see…" he barked before striding off. Once it was safe, Arthur and Alice walked over to the woman in the window. She was not the prettiest woman, looking like a bloated version of the prostitute he had just seen. She had a visible black eye, a tattoo of an anchor on her chest, a frilly low cut purple blouse, and long dirty blonde hair in a bun at the top of her hair topped off with a peacock feather. Once she noticed the pair on the ground, she smiled warmly.

"Alice Liddell and kid I've never seen before…"

"I'M ARTHUR!"

"Hello Nan!" Alice called up.

"You make a nice change. Bring yer pretty lit'le self up here and bring that cute friend of yer's too!" she chuckled before closing the window.

"Was that your nanny?" Arthur asked as the two of them walked around the corner.

"Yeah, she took care of me and my older sister. She taught us a bunch of things like French, singing, and how to play the piano…" Alice reminisced.

"Your nanny was a prostitute?"

"I didn't know it at the time!"

"Good…"

As the pair rounded the corner, a grunt and low thud pierced the pitter patter of rain on the street. The sound came from man, who fell to the ground as Alice rushed over followed closely by Arthur.

"What happened to him? Who did this?" Arthur asked, looking at the knife freshly punctured into the man's stomach.

"That man we saw before. Jack Splatter…" Alice hissed, letting go of the man's cold wrist, "Tim always said he would probably die from some wide spread disease… Poor man…" Arthur shook slightly at the knife in man's stomach; he had always hated knives and the idea of using them to kill was a terrible thing to think about. He felt nauseous just thinking about anyone who would have to use one.

"Come on Arthur, there's nothing else we can do. I still need to talk to Nan about a few things," Alice said, taking Arthur's hand again and pulling him into the establishment, noise and crashing muffled from within the walls that gave Arthur a horrible foreboding feeling in his stomach.

HETALIA!

Both of them stared blankly with mouths agape at the scene around them, turned to each other blankly, and then turned back to the brothel. It looked like a pub exclusively for large dirty fishermen and skinny underdressed women. The pub feeling was completed with a large liquor wall on one side with a long maple wood bar in front. The low murmur of voices plus the creepy 1920's music made it very awkward for the two to sneak around.

"Are you sure your nanny's upstairs?" Arthur whispered as the two huddled next to each other, slowly shuffling through the brothel.

"Yes…why do you ask?" Alice whispered back, looking down to avoid eye contact with anyone.

"I just… don't want to walk through here…" Arthur mumbled as the two started up a staircase.

"Come now Arthur, it's not frightening in here," Alice reasurred. At the moment, a bottle was smashed from behind and a fight amongst a small group of men broke out, probably fighting over a prostitute. Alice and Arthur did not care about the reason, but immediately began panicking at the both tried to run side-by-side up the stairs.

"AGH! Alice move!"

"I'm stuck! Arthur get out of the way!"

"I want to get out of here! Move!"

"So do I! Move so I can move!"

The people around the bar finally noticed the young pair as they bickered on the stair case, stuck hip to hip between the railings. Finally, Arthur wiggled away from Alice and the two scrambled up the stairs like mice escaping a large cat. The two stood shocked at the top of the stair case, but soon drew deep breaths since they left that horrible pub below. Before Arthur could speak, the sharp sound a punch pierced the air from an opened door.

"Nan!" Alice snapped, "Splatter must be in there!" She dashed toward the room on their right. Sure enough, Splatter was standing over Nan as she cowered on the floor.

"If you don't gimme me money, I'll burn this trash heap of yers to the ground! Ye understand!" he threatened as Nan whimpered from the ground.

"HEY! Get away from her!" Alice snapped, feeling very brave as Arthur coward like a mouse from behind her. Jack Splatter turned to them with a dark grimace, bearing black teeth.

"She hurt my feelings…" he hissed.

"Like we really give a damn! Get the Hell out of here you leech," Arthur snapped, feeling a little braver. However he yelped and hid behind Alice again as Splatter knocked over a gas lamp, setting the rug ablaze. Splatter lurched over to the brave Alice and cowardly Arthur, sharply slapping Alice for her defiance. Alice hit her head on the dresser next to them and lay unconscious.

"Alice!" Arthur shouted in shock. He turned to Splatter with green eyes blazing.

"You bastard! You son of a bitch! You frog! How dare you!" Arthur snapped, using names he only reserved for Francis. Just as Arthur was about throw a punch at Splatter's jaw, Splatter hit Arthur in the side of the head with a book, causing him to fall to the ground. Hitting his head on the wood, Arthur was lost in darkness as the smell of burning wood filled his nose. His head was spinning and splitting in two, but he felt like he was falling. Were the fumes from the smoke doing this? No, he wasn't high, he really was falling. He felt something changing about him, but he could not tell what it was. All he felt was the white shirt fall looser around him and his black pants felt like they were stuffed into socks or something. This falling sensation mad him feel like a meteorite falling to Earth, but there was no land to set foot on and he should be falling forev-

CRASH!  
>Arthur contacted and skidded to a stop in something that felt very cold on his chest. He groaned and gripped his head from pain, feeling like he was hung-over as someone cut an imaginary knife through his head. He stood up slowly and gasped at the sight around him. He wasn't it London anymore, he wasn't on Earth anymore! There were mountains of ice all around him that sparkled with snow, surrounded by a black lake of freezing water. Too focused on the world of ice around him, it took him awhile to notice he changed clothes! Arthur gasped as he looked at his clothes, a loose long sleeved blue shirt and black pants replaced a white shirt and suspenders. An apron was wrapped around his waist with strange symbols on the pockets and… is that blood on his apron? His black pants were stuffed into knee-high black and white stripped socks and black tall heeled buckled shoes were on his feet. The symbol of Omega was on a necklace around his neck, all of these new clothes plus a new world making for a very confused Arthur. There was a soft click from behind him as someone landed on the frozen Earth as well. Arthur turned around and gasped at the sight of the woman in front of him.<p>

"A-Alice?" he gasped. She looked at him with just as much shock, but she looked different in some way. He black hair was longer and she wore a blue dress, apron, and necklace very similar to Arthur's new clothes.

"Arthur? How did you get here?" Alice gasped, rubbing her eyes out of disbelief.

"_Oh Alice, who is this?_" a cold voice asked from no where. Before Arthur's eyes, a prehistoric looking cat appeared in between Alice and Arthur. He was grey with a few blue accents with long boney arms and a boney tail. Those where not the most distinctive details, Arthur finding himself unable to take his eyes away from that bloodstained toothy smile.

"I haven't done anything!" Alice snapped.

"Your dark imagination has everything to do with him. He is here because of you," the cat explained with his mystical voice, the smile not leaving his face. He turned to Arthur, a look of curiosity and interest on his face.

"Another human has never touched the soil of Wonderland," he smiled, "You must be special…"

"Oh! Special? I can't be… I'm just Arthur…" Arthur denied shaking his head.

"Do not deny it," the Cat purred, sauntering over to Arthur and circling around his feet like a normal house cat would.

"There is something about you, but neither of you can see that yet. Since you are here, I might as well warn you of what is to come. I have told Alice this and I will tell you, there is a new law in this Wonderland. Be on your guard, Arthurrrrr~" the cat purred his final word before disappearing, that large smile being the last thing to disappear. In the snow, the Cat left behind a silver blade. The blade was carved with small details of swirls and the handle was black ebony.

"Well, pick it up! You're going to need a weapon if you're coming with me!" Alice ordered, kicking snow toward the blade. Arthur swallowed hard, but took the blade in a shaking hand. He ran his cold finger across the carved surface of the blade.

"What do I do with this?" Arthur asked.

"I think you could probably guess…" Alice shrugged, sashaying past him with a blade identical to his now noticeable in her hand. Arthur sighed and pocketed the blade for now, following Alice across the icy plane. Now he finally understood how Dorothy felt when she went to Oz, but this time there would be no ruby slippers to bring him home. The idea of home buzzed around in his brain, but something also caught his attention. If Alice imagined everything in this "Wonderland" according to the "Cat", does that mean that the last thought in the mad girl's mind was the British gentlemen walking a few paces behind her?

* * *

><p>Ah~ Mad Hatter, no matter who you are, you will always have a special place in my heart! I love you and your madness!<p>

Okay! This is awesome! I was looking through Alice AMV's and Alice clips on YouTube and someone made a comment that said "it would be nice if Alice had a cute guy friend with the same problem." I wanted to comment, "I WROTE A FANFICTION ABOUT THAT! YOU SHOULD READ IT!" Haha… I didn't though… :(

The scene where Arthur and Alice were running up the stairs was based off real life. My sister was playing Alice and while I was watching her, she was making Alice's voice and I was making Arthur's. She got stuck walking up the stair case and we both started freaking out and shouting at each other as the characters. We're weird like that, but it did inspire that scene!

How many of you have heart "What Have You Done" by Within Temptation? It's amazing and punkyteen23 made it into a great MV for Alice. He/She did a great job! Anyway I can totally see Arthur and Alice singing that song! The song is also 99% responsible for the more intense and dramatic scenes in this fic. I thought you would like to know!

Oh my Nelley fans! My sweet sis just made the greatest discovery ever! She found a comment on Youtube that said "I just read a fanfic where Arthur/Britian/England fell in love with Alice!" THAT'S ESCORT! OH MY GOD! /calls across couch/ SIS! WHAT'S THE NAME AGAIN? … ANWagn3rd? Thanks! /turns back/ Okay whoever you are I'm coming to find you so I can give you teh biggest hug ever! You're awesome, seriously!  
>The love I am getting from you people is astounding! Thanks so much bows/ Review please?


	3. Chapter 3

Yes I'm still alive I've just been… busy… very busy… I'm applying to art colleges this year and just applied! Yay!

Anyway readers, I want to thank a few of you personally! Thanks VGparastar for giving me all the great ideas for chapters to come and crazy plot twists, TwilightKat777 for the Mint Bunny of epicosity, and especially angel61991 for all of the awesome ideas for weapons! Thanks for all the help you guys. If any of you have epic ideas for Escort, feel free to PM me. One condition, no more Hetalia characters!

AAAAAAAGH! You have no idea how long it took to update this! My computer wouldn't save any of my changes and when I tired to submit it to FFnet, my computer set on fire!... okay not literally, but it was a proces... XP

Anyway…

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Alice tapped her foot annoyed and heaved a sigh, her breath visible in the cold air. Arthur had been following her, but not to long after the Cat disappeared Arthur began to panic and had a melt down. After three or four minutes of pure panic and rolling around in the snow, Arthur was left curled up in a ball muttering softly to himself. Finally, Alice sharply kicked him in between the shoulder blades.

"Kirkland, get up!" Alice snapped, "You're here and there's no getting around it…" She muttered to herself, "Jeez when I first came here I wasn't as broken up as you…" Shivering and damp from the snow, Arthur stood up and brushed himself off while giving Alice a dark look.

"Well forgive me for being shaken! I was just thrown from London into some kind of frozen Hell!" Arthur barked back.

"How do you know you've never been here before?" Alice asked, turning around, "The fact that you are here shows that you're as mad as me and would have probably been to some kind of Wonderland before!"

"I haven't! I _don't _belong here!" Arthur snapped, "There is nothing here from my 'twisted' mind!" As if on cue, Flying Mint Bunny flew out of no where and circled around Arthur's head.

"Hee hee! Hi Arthur!" Mint Bunny cooed before flying off. There was a pause, Arthur looking bewildered and Alice looking very confused.

"What was that?"

"Never mind…" Alice sighed and walked off. She took a trail on the left and Arthur, not wanting to be anywhere near her right now, went to the right. Why was he here? And why was Alice acting so differently? She was a different person in this world; a different surlier person. Dropping down from his path, Arthur heaved a sigh. He had been was acting like a baby. He had been in worse situations and now was not the time to panic! Then Alice's attitude must have been because she was simply angry at Arthur. She was the same person he had met in London, just with different clothes and longer hair…

"WHEEEEEEW!" Alice squealed as she slid over Arthur's head launched from a frozen slide. She landed a few feet away in a puff of light and fluffy snow, sparkles of snow descending down to Earth. She turned back to Arthur with a bright smile.

"Why'd you go that way?" Alice asked, brushing off her hair.

"Why do you care?" Arthur asked, looking back at the two trails. Alice shrugged.

"My way was more fun…" Alice said simply and trotted off. Arthur was left in awe and confusion; Alice… caring about… fun? Where the Hell was he~?

A sharp roar hit his ears and made him jump, coming from the place where Alice had just went to. Arthur slid on the ice and saw Alice looking at the ground, tapping it with her foot.

"What was that?" Arthur asked.

"I… I don't know… I've never seen it before here…" Alice pondered with a voice that did not sound the least bit scared. Arthur, on the other hand, felt his insides twist with fear.

"Are there… monsters here Alice?" Arthur asked in a shaky voice. Before Alice could answer, there was a gurgling sound coming from in front of them. Arthur looked up and gasped in horror at the sight of monsters that looked like they were made of oil. The rose out of bubbling pits of the black stuff. They did not have terrifying faces, but faces that looked like baby dolls without the eyes and the jaw. There were a few small ones, but out of a large puddle of black goo came a large one with three heads right in the center a one large arm made of black goo coming out from the top of his head. Two baby doll arm blocked its face like a shield. Alice turned back Arthur, who had shock and terror plastered on his face.

"The Cat gave you that knife for a reason Kirkland…" Alice said simply. From her apron, Alice drew her own knife. It was identical to Arthur, but with more feminine carvings on it and stained with blood. Immediately, Alice ran into the attack and started swinging her knife like a sword, a horrifying dance that caught Arthur's eye. His fascination was interrupted by an Earth shaking smash as the three headed oil monster slammed its hand down.

"Arthur! Don't just stand there! Fight!" Alice shouted. Arthur was shaking like mad, but nodded his head and readied his blade. As a pirate he had fought a bit with a sword, but he had never experienced something as small and nimble as a knife. Despite this being his first fight in "Wonderland", Arthur took on the three headed monster. Arthur came around the back and cut it as deep as he could go, but the wound filled in with goo almost instantly. It turned around and slammed its large hand down, hitting Arthur three times with Earth shaking blows. Arthur hit the ground and coughed up blood once his body slammed against the Earth, splattering to the snow as he fell to the ground. Wiping the blood from the corners of his mouth, Arthur stood up despite his weakened state and went to fight again. Again Arthur tried, but he was thrown to the ground again and again with each try. His mind was growing foggy with blood loss and he collapsed to his knees, shaking. There was a throbbing pain in his mind, a madness that crept up slowly as he got weaker.

"KIRKLAND! Kirkland what are you doing? Stand up and fight! Arthur! ARTHUR!" Alice shouted, but was just a blur in the far distance.  
>"ARTHUR! GET UP! ARTHUR!" Alice screamed as the gooey monster waddled over the weakened man and prepared to take its next prey. Arthur fought back the madness that was seeping into his head, but as the monster prepared to slam down its hand, Arthur's madness cracked. The world around him cracked as well as he grabbed the baby doll hand of the monster. He looked up at the monster and screamed as blood poured from his eyes. The world around Arthur turned black and white and the red of the blood was the only color; even his skin and blue shirt turned white in Arthur's madness stricken eyes. Even though he was weakened before, in this state he felt more powerful. He attacked the monster head on making more progress than he had before; he was fighting just like Alice had, a deadly dance. Finally the knife cut directly through the monster and black goo exploded everywhere. Arthur breathed heavily from exhaustion. Just as he was feeling powerful, the black, red, and white world around him broke as the madness wore off. Arthur was immediately swept off his feet as he fell just as weak as before. Before he clattered to the ground, Alice caught him and rested the weak Arthur in her arms.<p>

"What…happened…" Arthur gasped through a weakened voice.

"You're a terrible fighter… And hopelessly cocky. Taking on a Menacing Ruin your first time here! You could have killed yourself…" Alice scolded.

"Ruin?" Arthur asked.

"The black stuff… I don't know where it come from, but it's taking over Wonderland… I didn't think it'd get as far as Tundraful…" Alice half mumbled to herself. Alice looked off deep thought while Arthur rested against her lap. She was so warm as compared to the snow around them; Arthur could have stayed like this foreve-

"Well Kirkland, come on…" Alice said, standing up abruptly as causing him to fall into the snow. The coldness on his neck shot Arthur off of the ground, turning and following Alice up around a curved path leading to a platform above.

"Oh wait," Alice said, stopping abruptly. She turned around and shoved something into Arthur's arms, "Hold onto this. It's a shield, it can help you," she explained. A shield, she said? Arthur looked at the shield while his cheeks flushed a bright pink.

"Seriously? This is a shield?" Arthur asked in a slightly complaining voice.

"What's wrong with it?" Alice asked. Arthur opened the "shield", turning out not to be a shield, but a lacey power blue parasol. He looked at her darkly while Alice stifled a chuckle.

"It really brings out your eyes…"

"Shut it…"

HETALIA!

Alice and Arthur followed a snowy path into another chamber, leading them down by an icy slide into a dungeon. Arthur slid down first and caught Alice as she fell. Arthur didn't get a chance to look around, but when he turned around he saw two identical alters set up, each with something in them and knight chess pieces made of ice on each side.

"What's that?" Alice asked, brushing a bit of snow off of her skirt before approaching them. She walked over to the first one and looked at what was in it, a long black ebony rod with a wrought iron at the top and end. She looked at a tag on it and shook her head, walking off.

"Wait? Why didn't you take it?" Arthur asked as she approached the other one, a light brown hobby horse on a wooden dowel.

"Because that one isn't for me. It's for you…" Alice said simply, looking at the tag on the hobby horse. Arthur saw Alice's name written on it in fine calligraphy. Arthur dashed over to the rod trying to hide the excitement he felt and saw his name on the tag tied around it. He picked it up, feeling the weight at one end from the heavy iron.

"What is it?" Alice asked, resting her hobby horse over her shoulder.

"It's… a cane…" Arthur said, looking at the sleekness of the black shaft.

"A cane? Like a stuffy nobleman would have?" Alice asked.

"Erm… I guess?" Arthur said, a bit hurt that Alice compared him to a stuffy nobleman… There was a soft scarping sound from under the ice and with a piercing roar like the one before, an ice shark sprang out from under the ice. It looked like a fish with webbed talon-like feet and a wide row of sharp jagged teeth spread across his wide open mouth.

"What the Hell is that?" Arthur shrieked out of fear.

"It was one of those things that I saw from before! I'll take this; you just stay out of the way!" Alice ordered as two more scrambled out from under the ice. As much as Arthur did not want to get hurt again, he was determined not to fail again. He looked weak with Alice taking care of him (and with the lacey blue parasol) and he wanted to redeem himself. Instead of going off to the side, Arthur charged at the monsters. They were not those "ruin" or whatever Alice called them so Arthur thought that they might be easier to fight. Then again, Alice did say that he was hopelessly cocky… Despite this, Arthur fought against the monsters with energy that he did not have before. The sword fighting he had done in his days as a pirate paid despite the face that the Vorpal blade was much smaller than a sword. Alice stayed back and watched clutching her new hobby horse, realizing that Arthur needed no help at all. He fought like he had been doing this most of his life like she had, using a mixture of Vorpal blade and his new cane. He swung the cane like swinging a baseball bat, a look of merciless in those vast green eyes. Ever so often the ice shark would scream and send snow at Arthur, freezing him to the ground. Just when Alice was about to help him out, Arthur broke free and continued to fight, no wanting any help from Alice in order to redeem himself. Arthur smashed the frozen Earth when the ice sharks disappeared under the ice searching for safety and bashed their heads when they rose to the surface, sending blood splattering against the ground. Slice, bash, slice, bash, Arthur kept up this act until the final one fell to its lifeless side and designated skin bone and all. Arthur gasped for breath and fell to his knees in exhaustion, the now bloody cane and Vorpal blade still clutched in his hand. Alice clicked over to where he was and gently patted his shoulder.

"You did well Arthur. I honestly didn't know you had it in you…" Alice praised, helping Arthur to his feet. Arthur chuckled, bashfully brushing a bit of hair behind his ear.

"Yeah… neither did I…" he mumbled with a smile, "Does this mean I still have to carry around the umbrella?" Arthur added hopefully.

"No, you should keep it just in case…" Alice said after a pause in thought. Arthur sighed as the two carried on; dammit! He thought he had rid himself of that lacey blue embarrassment!

The two carried on through the icy cavern, fighting off more ice sharks and ruin monsters as the got deeper in. Finally the ceiling opened up above them, showing the cool night sky above. As Alice looked around, Arthur approached a random patch of green grass. When he stepped closer, a mushroom popped out of the dirt with a blue spiral on it.

"Erm…. Alice… what is this?" Arthur asked. Alice walked over to the mushroom, looking up to a high icy wall behind the mushroom.

"Just take my hand Arthur," was all Alice said, holding out her thin hand to Arthur. Cautiously, Arthur gently took her hand as Alice stepped on the mushroom. The mushroom reacted immediately and sent them flying into the air. Arthur gasped and squeezed Alice's hand as his feet lifted off of the ground, the two of them flying like butterflies in a soft wind or two figure skaters gracefully gliding across the ice. Alice smiled softly at Arthur's shocked face, looking down with awe and terror. The two landed gently onto the snow after flying through the air for what seemed like forever. In front of them was nothing like Arthur had ever seen; a long icy ribbon that twisted and split around in many places.

"My papa used to take Lizzy to Hyde Park a lot when we were little…" Alice began walking up next to Arthur, "She promised that he would take me to one day so I could go down the big slide there… I suppose that this will have to do for now…"

"It's a slide? We have to go down…" Arthur asked, looking at the precarious turns leading into nothing but icy water and certain death.

"Yes Kirkland, how else do you get down a slide?" Alice sighed, sitting down in the snow. Arthur swallowed with apprehension and sat next to her, both of the choosing opposite paths. Alice pushed off and so did Arthur, sending both of the soaring down the ice. Honestly it was quiet fun, the wind whipping at Arthur's face and the speed he was gaining was far past any child going down a normal slide. He had lost slight of Alice while going down, but as he turned a particularly precarious ledge, he heard a screech.

"ARTHUR!" Alice shrieked, having slipped off of a ledge and was falling fast. Arthur swerved to catch her, landing in his arms as they rounded a corner.

"Thanks…" Alice mumbled through the wind.

"No problem… Now we can stay together. It's smooth sailing from here on ou-" and before Arthur could finish, the slide dropped to a rollercoaster-like drop, gaining speed but also increasing the danger. Alice screamed and buried her head into Arthur's chest as he laughed with joy. In his entire time here, almost dying and having to fight demons he didn't even know existed, this slide of doom was the most fun he had ever had. Many turns and drops later, the slide curled up at the end and sent the two flying into the air. The pair separated and landed on the ice below, spinning slightly as they skidded to a stop. Arthur was still giggling from the ride as Alice stood up, looking huffy.

"One day I swear they're going to kill me!" Alice snapped.

"Come on Alice, it was fun!" Arthur smiled. Alice sighed in annoyance.

"Well you did seem pretty terrified… you were buried right up against me clutching my shirt out of fear…" Arthur noted, looking at his slightly wrinkled blue shirt. When he looked up again, Alice was blushing like mad.

"Erm… Alice? Are you-"

"SHALL WE BE OFF THEN!" Alice interrupted, pushing Arthur past and going through an icy corridor.

HETALIA!

The icy camber opened up to them as Arthur hoisted Alice up over a ledge. The green northern lights danced across the sky, encircling the moon the sent a sliver glow onto the snow. It would almost have been beautiful, if Alice wasn't killing an ice shark in the background and there weren't dead, half-eaten, frozen animals set up like statues… Arthur tried to ignore a half eaten duck with all of its guts exposed and turned his attention to a strange monument in the distance.

"Alice… what is that?" Arthur asked as Alice walked over, wiping the blade off on her bloodied skirt.

"Is that… a ship in a bottle?" Arthur asked, looking at the extremely large glass enclosed ship, complete with a monstrous cork at the top.

"I think it is… Let's get a closer look," Alice said and slide down the hill that they were standing on. Once Arthur had made it down, he looked over to a few platforms floating in water; not to far away and perfectly spaced for jumping!  
>"I'll go first Alice, You follow behind okay?" Arthur ordered. He jumped out and the platform immediately began sinking from his weight, a pressure pad neither of them knew about.<p>

"KIRKLAND!" Alice cried as Arthur struggled to get a grip on the slick surface. With no hope, he deiced to jump out onto the second platform, Alice shouting for him to be careful. The weight he threw onto the second platform caused the pad to lift into the air and flip over, taking Arthur under. Arthur tired to swim above, but his clothes became heavy and he tired to swim up and the frozen water instantly numbed his body. He saw Alice's reflection, hearing her faint and inaudible cries. Arthur wanted to yell to her and tell her something was behind her, a large monstrosity of a figure behind her. He could not though. Arthur opened his mouth, sending large bubbling to the surface as swiftly lost consciousness…

…

…

Arth…

…ake up…

Arthur?

"KIRKLAND!"

Coughing up water, Arthur woke up with a start once he heard that sharp cry. His head was spinning and his lung ached as he coughed, water splashing to the cold frozen shore.

"Alice…" Arthur moaned, shaking from coughing and from the cold. He felt something touch his back gently.

"You alright lad?" a low voice asked. Arthur turned around and jumped at the sight of what he saw. It was a turtle with an oversized cow's head in a pirate coat and hat, looking down at him with beady black eyes. He offered a flipper and helped Arthur up.

"Yes… I'm fine…" Arthur said slowly.

"Good, both of you get below deck. It'll be safe there," the large cow-turtle ordered, looking around anxiously.

"Who the Hell is… No not who, what the Hell is that?" Arthur whispered as the two boarded the rickety looking, grey wooden ship.

"The Mock Turtle. I've met him before a while ago. We came here because I have some questions for him…" Alice explained as the two entered the lower cabins.

"What kind of questions?" Arthur asked.

"Now is really not the time to explain. Go find something to change out of okay? You look freezing," Alice commented, brushing a bit of Arthur's wet hair out of his eyes. Arthur nodded and walked off, closing the door behind him in one of the cabins. Alice didn't want to mention that his wet shirt was contouring to every muscle in his body, showing off the well built man beneath that quirky exterior. She shrugged and turned into a cabin behind her; if she said that, it might freak him out…

HETALIA!

The Mock Turtle walked around the docks, humming a sea shanty to himself. Suddenly, there was a thump against the side of the glass, causing the Mock Turtle to stumble and almost fell off the side of the ship. He looked around the sides of the bottle where giant wooden sharks bashed themselves against the sides and tried to get in.

"Blasted demons! They want my ship!" the Mock Turtle snapped.

"I think you're more their taste Admiral…" Arthur's cool voice said from the stairs leading up to the deck. The Mock Turtle turned to see the boy he and Alice pulled out of the ocean dressed from head to toe in pirate regalia, a black hat upon his head with large white feathers coming off and a red coat draped around his shoulders.

"But why me? We're all creatures of the sea! Aren't we practically related?" The Mock Turtle shrieked as more wooden sharks crashed against the side of the bottle.

"Aren't you related to turtle soup?" Arthur asked. Before the Mock Turtle could answer, the bottle broke open and sent the ship sailing along the water at a fast speed. Arthur took a hold of the helm and tried to steer the ship against the current. The sharks fled the scene; their job here was done. The current pulled the ship toward the edge of the Earth, where there was nothing but deep water from miles down. Arthur tried to steer the ship away from the edge, but the current was to strong and Arthur felt his arms strain to keep the ship away. The nose fell over the side of the ship and gravity pulled down the rest of it against Arthur's control. The mist whipped at Arthur's face as he tried to hold onto the ship and his hat at the same time. Arthur shut his eyes before the ship impacted with the deep water below, preparing for the worst, when suddenly…

_CRASH!_

* * *

><p>Pirate Iggy~ :33<p>

I butchered this… a lot… The story would be boring to read if I went through EVERYTHING that they did in the corridors (jumping fighting et cetera…) I also skipped the part where you have to fight the sharks because that gave me a lot of trouble when I was playing the game and this is my revenge~~~!

Some songs that create the mood-

Arthur's redemption fighting scene- Indestructible by Disturbed

Alice and Arthur flying through the air, on the slide, and afterward- I love you forever by Two Steps from Hell

Arthur's epic steering the ship action! - Loreley by Blackmore's Night and Ageir Morning by , (PIRATE MUSIC~~~)

Okay, I forgot to mention this! Arthur changes into a pirate costume becuase in Madness Returns Alice changes her costume whenever she goes to a new world. Arthur is going to do the same thing! It slipped my mind~ Sorry!

In the next chapter I'm going to introduce a lot of Madness Returns things: Shrink Sense, memories, Clockwork Bombs and many more! Even Mint Bunny is going to come up… I think I'll have him make an appearance in every world they go to… Please review! I love all the praise I'm getting for this~!


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